Baseball Falls to Nationally Ranked Indiana State

With the loss, the Cardinals fall to 32-16 overall, while Indiana State, which entered the game ranked 28th in the nation and with a Ratings Percentage Index of 20, improved to 30-13.

After giving up four runs in the first inning, Ball State rallied to tie the game at 6-6 with a four-run inning of its own in the sixth. But the Sycamores managed three runs in the final three innings, and the Cardinals could only add one more in the seventh to suffer the loss.

Tyler Jordan, one of eight pitchers used in the game by the Cardinals, was the pitcher of record and suffered the loss to fall to 1-1 on the season. Kurt Kudrecki, one of four pitchers used by Indiana State, earned the victory to improve to 5-3 on the season.

Ball State’s Nestor Bautista, Scott Baker, Matt Johnsen and Alex Maloney all saw action on the mound and allowed zero earned runs apiece. Bautista threw 2.2 innings, limiting the Sycamores to two hits and no runs, while striking out three. Baker, the team’s normal Saturday starter, pitched one inning, struck out two and allowed no hits.

At the plate for the Cardinals, Alex Call led the team with a 3-for-4 performance and two runs-batted-in. Jarett Rindfleisch, who entered the game in the sixth inning and immediately doubled in his first at-bat was 1-for-2 with two RBI and one run scored.

Brandon Estep smacked his fourth home run of the season in the fifth inning to close ISU’s gape to 5-2, while Nick Hollowell recorded the first home run of his career in the third frame.

Ball State’s four-run sixth inning was highlighted by Rindfleisch’s double and a double by Call that scored Rindfleisch and Estep.

The Cardinals, who are in first place in the Mid-American Conference West Division, return to conference play with a three-game series at home vs. MAC East leader Kent State Friday through Sunday. Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday’s games are slated for 1 p.m. starts.